Huntsville animal shelter facing uphill battle

Ever wonder why it seems as though animal shelters always seem to be facing a crisis?

Huntsville Animal Services has a budget of $2 million dollars, which may seem like a lot. We did some digging and discovered some of the reasons why shelters faces such an uphill battle.

One challenge is the best of intentions can backfire. Last week’s nationwide “Clear The Shelters” drive did, in fact, almost clear the entire Huntsville shelter. It also encouraged people to drop off unwanted pets, thinking they were sure to find good homes. Karen Sheppard, Director of Huntsville Animal Services, said the shelter received almost 100 new animals just this week. It seems there is a constant influx of pets picked up by the dog catcher.

“We are actually expanding now, but it’s not to add any kennels, its to give all our pets appropriate living space. We are not going to increase our intake. We can’t. We can’t take care of more animals. Right now, we have 120 animals. It’s the max, we just can’t do that. It’s hard on the pets. I feel sorry for our animals,” said Sheppard.